Spanish explorers who first sailed along the coast in the 1500's called this region California, probably after the name of a treasure island in a popular Spanish tale.
| Animal
California Grizzly Bear |
Bird
California Quail |
Colors
Blue & Gold |
Dance
West Coast Swing |
Fife and Drum Corps
California Consolidated Drum Band |
| Fish
Golden Trout |
Flag
"Bear Flag" |
Flower
Golden Poppy |
Folk Dance
Square Dance |
Fossil
Saber-Toothed Cat |
| Gemstone
Benitoite |
Gold Rush Ghost Town
Bodie |
Grass
Purple Needlegrass |
Historical Society California Historical Society |
Insect
California Dogface Butterfly |
| Marine Fish
Garibaldi |
Marine Mammal
California Gray Whale |
Military Museum
California State Military Museum |
Mineral
Gold |
Motto
Eureka! |
| Nickname
Golden State |
Poet Laureate
Al Young |
Prehistoric Artifact
Chipped Stone Bear |
Quarter
John Muir at Yosemite |
Reptile
Desert Tortoise |
| Rock
Serpentine |
Seal
|
Silver Rush Ghost
Town
Calico |
Soil San Joaquin |
Song "I Love You, California" |
| Tall Ship
Californian |
Tartan
California Tartan |
Theatre
Pasadena Playhouse |
Tree
California Redwood |
California State Library. www.library.ca.gov/history/symbols.html